The Art of Onfim: Medieval Novgorod Through the Eyes of a
Child

By Paul Wickenden of Thanet

Introduction

One of the most fascinating archeological finds in Russia
has been the discovery of hundreds of "birchbark documents"
(messages written on the bark of birch trees with a sharp stylus)
that were created from the 11th to the 15th century.

The birchbark documents of Novgorod are a major source for
information about life in Medieval Novgorod because they are not
the writings of church theologians or political leaders, but
rather, personal messages, IOUs, love letters, shopping lists,
and so on. One of the most fascinating items, in my mind, is a
collection of children's drawings that have been unearthed.

Children's drawings in the Middle Ages?! Even if such
things were created in period, how could they have survived to
the present day? After all, finger paints, magic markers, and
crayons were not yet in use, paper was far too valuable of a
commodity to waste on children, and refrigerator doors were
unavailable for the display of Junior's artistic genius. Most of
the products of childhood inspiration probably were expressed on
the ephemeral canvas of dirt or sand.

But birchbark was a different story. The bark was widely
available (although there are indications that excessive use of
the medium caused a decline in the local birch population) and
easily cultivated. Anyone could use it. When one was finished
with the message, it was simply thrown into the mud, where the
presence of water and clay created an unusually bacteria-free
environment which preserved the documents. So, we have the ideal
medium: cheap, easy to come by, and (thanks to unique geology)
preserved for hundreds of years.

The drawings from Novgorod that we have found appear to all
come from a Russian boy named Onfim, who lived at the end of the
twelfth century or beginning of the thirteenth century in the
city of Novgorod. By the estimate of the archaeologists who
unearthed his works, he was around seven years old at the time
that he made these drawings.

Onfim Learns His Letters

Onfim was being taught to write, but he was obviously
restless with his lessons and when he could get away with it, he
intermixed his assignments with doodlings. In this first
example, he started to write out the first eleven letters of the
alphabet in the upper right corner, but got bored and drew a
picture of himself as a grown-up warrior impaling an enemy with
his spear. To remove any doubt about the identity of the
warrior, he even labeled the person on the horse as "Onfim."

Fantasies of becoming a mighty warrior were not the only things
that Onfim thought up though. In another example, he took the
piece of bark that he was practicing on (left), turned it over
(right), and drew a picture of himself disguised as a wild beast
(which he identified by writing "I am a wild beast" [Ia
zver'] over it). The beast, with its long tongue (or fiery
breath), is apparently still a friendly beast as it is carrying a
sign that reads "Greetings from Onfim to Danilo" [Poklon ot
Onfima ko Danile]. Danilo (i.e., Daniel) was probably a
friend, perhaps even a schoolmate sitting next to Onfim.

Onfim's Friends and Family

Onfim liked to draw people and while his artistic aptitude
may have been lacking, he was prolific. In the picture on the
left, he draws his mother and father. In the picture on the
right, he draws two children playing around a tree (one of them
is hidden behind the tree).

More People

More people!!

Onfim Goes to War

In these two examples, we see Onfim drawing battle scenes.

Me and My Dad

This is my Dad! He is a warrior. When I grow up, I want to be a
warrior just like him!

Bibliography

This text is based on an earlier article I did for Tournaments
Illuminated #116 (Fall 1995). My sources included: